Macki Walsh '17 Recruiting Profile

   The pounding of my feet against the ground, my muscles screaming in protest, my mouth dry. That's what I feel when I head towards the finish line. All I can think about is finishing and that thought pushes me over the line. I then try to remember why I do this to myself. Then the feeling of victory comes in, the feeling you can only get after running your hardest during a race. That feeling reminds me of why I've pushed through my discomfort just to improve my times, just to make me stronger. My love for running is stronger than my body's weakness.

   My love for running has been in my life for as long as I can remember. A simple 5K in fourth grade that I refused to stop running, led my parents to put me on a track team. I've been running since I was 9.  Thanks to our incredible youth track program, I've stayed with it. The youth track team helped me find my place in running and helped my love for running grow. I ended my youth career by winning the cross country state championship in 8th grade and being a member of the All-South team for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships by finishing 3rd at the Southern Regional Championship.  Since then I've been working hard to improve my times and grow with my teammates. I make it a goal of mine to make everyone feel welcome when they join our high school track team. I believe no one should feel alone when they have a whole team on their side. If they are eating alone I'll make sure to go sit and talk with them. During my career so far, I have learned that running requires perseverance and mental toughness to overcome the various aches /injuries that runners go through. I've learned to accept these times as an opportunity to get stronger both mentally and physically.

Outside of running I've always enjoyed teaching kids, whether it was helping with youth track or teaching Sunday school. The satisfaction of helping someone grow has made me want to continue doing this and get a degree in education. I want to go to a college with a good education program so that I can fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher. My ultimate goal is to one day go to a country where children do not have have the opportunity that we have here to become educated and help teach those children.  I feel like I am a responsible person.  I make sure to think about my decisions before acting. I go on many mission trips with my church. I go to Honduras for a week every year to visit Orphanage Emmanuel with my mom and sister, where I get to help care for the children and share with them the word of God. I also have gone to North Carolina a few times with my youth group to help repair houses of those who can't usually afford to do so. I love mission trips and have enjoyed learning about the different cultures from them. I am looking to find the right college that will fulfill my passion for running and help me prepare myself for my future in teaching.